Electric mop

ABSTRACT

An electric mop that makes use of a toroidal cleaning element that is rotatably mounted on a ring-shaped axle with the electric motor rotating the toroidal cleaning element or mop on this circular axle. A novel mop wringing plate rests lightly on the top of the toroidal mop when the plate is in normal position and acts as a shield to protect the operator from any flying liquid that might accidentally be thrown off by the toroidal cleaning element as it is rotated about the ring-shaped axle. In addition, novel means is provided for forcing the plate down upon the toroidal cleaning element while it is rotating for wringing the cleaning element or mop of its dirty water.

nited States Patent [191 rekler g v ELECTRIC MOP [76] inventor: MarionKrekler, 2422 N. French St., Santa Ana, Calif. 92706 [22] Filed: Mar.12, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 340,228

521 u.s.c|......". ..l5/98,15/260 .[51 lnt.Cl ..A47lll/282 58 Field ofSearch 15/98, 97 R, 103, 102,

15/99, 49 R, 49 C, 50 R, 50 C, 52, 51, 41 A, 4, 104.04, 230, 260

FQREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 244,735 11/1926 Great Britain. 15/49 C[111 3,822,433 a [4 July 9, 1974 Primary Examiner-Leon G. MachlinAttorney, Agent, or Firm-.'William R. Piper [5 7] ABSTRACT Anelectric'mop that makes use of atoroidal cleaning element that isrotatably mounted on a ring-shaped axle with the electric motor rotatingthe toroidal cleaning element or mopon this circular axle. A novel mopwringing plate rests lightly on the top of the to roidal mop when theplate is in normal position and acts as a shield to protect the operatorfrom any flying liquid that might accidentally be thrown off by thetoroidal cleaning element as it is rotated about the ringshaped axle. Inaddition, novel means is provided for forcing the plate down upon thetoroidal cleaning element while it is rotating for wringing the cleaningelement or mop of its dirty water.

'12 Claims, l0 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL 9 1914 3.8221433 SHEU 2 UP 31 ELECTRIC MOP Field of the Invention Self-wringing electric mopsusually are of the endless belt variety where the moving belt is made topass between a pair of wringing rollers for squeezing out the dirtywater and then is made to contact with the floor to continue the moppingoperation. Another type of self-wringing electric mop makes use of oneor more rotating drums, each having its outer cylindrical surfacecoveredwith a layer of mopping material. The drum brings its layer ofmopping material into contact with the floor-to'be cleaned after which apressure roller is yieldingly held against the drum for squeezing outthe dirty water from the mopping material.

My invention introduces an entirely new type of electric mop where thecleaning element or mop is toroidal inshape and is caused to rotateabout a ring-shaped axle. Another novel feature of my invention lies inthe provision of a mop-wringing plate that when resting on the top ofthe toroidal cleaning element or mop in an inoperative position it willfunction as a shield to prevent the toroidal cleaning element as itrotates on its ring-shaped axle from throwing any liquid onto theoperator. Novel means is used for moving the mopwringing plate into anoperative position where it will press upon the toroidal-shaped mop forwringing water from it as the mop is rotated on its circular orringshaped axis. The electric mop is simple in construction and consistsof only a few working parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of'my invention is to provide anelectric mop that makes use of an entirely new type of cleaning elementwhich is in the shape of a toroi d and is rotat-' ably mounted on aring-shaped axle. Novel means is used for rotating the toroidal cleaningelement or donut-shaped mopon its circular axis. The toroidal cleaningelement rests on the floor to be cleaned and the rotation of the elementon its ring-shaped axle is in such a direction as to cause the floorcontacting portion to move toward the interior of the donut. Thereforeany water or foreign matter that might have a tendency to fly free ofthe toroidal cleaning element would do so within the confines of thedonut and would be prevented from any vertical movement beyond themopwringing plate which in its inoperative position would function as ashield for the operator.

A further object of my invention is to provide a discshaped wringerplate that overlies and rests on the toroidal cleaning element when theplate is in inoperative position and functions as a shield to preventany water and/or foreign matter from escaping beyond the confines of thespace enclosed by the toroidal cleaning element and the plate. Thewringer plate can be moved into an operative positionwhereit will bepressed down .upon the top of the toroidal element and squeeze thisportion between the plate and the stationary ringshaped axle so thatduring the rotation of the toroidal cleaning element about the circularaxle, any water in the element will be squeezed out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of theelectric mop with certain portions being shown in section. The-mophandle and the electric motor are not shown in this Figure.

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken along the line 2 -2 of FIG. 1. v

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1 with about onehalf of the devicebeing shown in section.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the two ends of the stationary splitring-shaped axle on which the toroidal cleaning element rotates.

FIG. 5 is a side-elevation of the entire electric mop and is shown on asmaller scale than that in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a transverse section taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5 andshows how the electric motor is attached to the gear casing. FIG. 6 isat the same scale as that of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal section through the worm'gear and associate partsand is taken along the line 77 of I FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a plan view with apart being shown in horizontal section of amodified form of electric mop where a single cylindrical mopping memberis rotatably' mounted on the circular mop supporting axle.

FIG. 9 is a vertical section taken along the line 99 of FIG. 8 and showsone half of the gear housing and associate parts.

FIG. 10 is a transverse section taken along the line l0-l0 of FIG. 9 andshows portions of the two worm gears in mesh with the worm that isrotated by the motor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In carrying out my invention Iprovide a gear housing indicated generally at A in FIGS. 1 and 3andcomprising two identical halves 1 and 2, The two halves I and 2 haveelongated portions or extension arms abutting each other and securedtogether by any suitable means, such as by rivets 3 and 4. The gearhousing A has its two halves] and 2 provided with portions 1a and 2athat are spaced from each other, see FIG. 3, and the portion la carriesabearing 5 which in turn rotatably receives a hub B, of a worm gear H,see also FIG. 7. The portion 2a in like manner carries a bearing 6 whichrotatably supports a second hub C of the worm gear I-I whose axis is inalignment with the hub B. Both the bearing 6 and the hub C are shown indotted lines in FIG. 3 and are shown in section in FIG. 7. The hubs Band C are integral with the worm gear H.

A circular stationary axle D has its end 7, see FIG. 4, received in thehub B, see also FIG. 7, and the hub can rotate freely about the end 7without rotating the axle. In like manner the other end 8 of thestationary axle D is received in the hub C and the two ends 7 and 8 ofthe axle can abut each other as shown in FIG. 7. The hub C can freelyrotate on the axle end 8. FIG. 4 shows that the axes of the two endportions 7 and 8 of the split ring axle D are in alignment with eachother. In the side elevation of FIG. 1, a horizontal line is shownextending along the axial line of the split ring-shaped axel D.'Thestructure appearing above this horizontal line or plane is shown insection and this section is along a vertical plane that lies between thetwo abutting identical halves 1 and 2, shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the split ringshaped axle Dhas its mid-portion extending through two aligned openings 9 andprovided in the two identical flat portions of the halves 1 and 2 of thegear housing A. A washer 11 has an opening for receiving the axle D andthe washer bears against the adjacent flat side of the gear housinghalf 1. In like manner another washer 12 has an opening for receivingthe axle D and this washer bears against the adjacent flat side of thegear housing half 2, in the same Figure. The split ring-shaped axle Dhas its ends 7 and 8 supported by the hubs B and C of the worm gear Hand the midpoint of the axle D that extends through the aligned openings9 and 10 of the two identical halves 1 and 2, respectively, is supportedby the flat portions of the halves l and 2 of the gear housing A.

I will now describe how a toroidal cleaning element E and comprising twoidentical halves 13 and 14, is rotatably mounted on the stationaryring-shaped axle D. I provide a plurality of coil springs F and showfour of these mounted on one-half of the axle D, that extends from therotatable hub B to the washer 11, see FIG. 3. The four coil springs Fare interleaved with respect to each other and they have their ends 15inserted into four openings formed in the outer end of the hub B, seealso FIG. 7. The four openings in the hub B are spaced 90 away from eachother and their axes parallel the central axis of the hub B. The otherends of the four coil springs F bear against the metal washer ll andthewasher will rotate with the coil springs on the axle D in a mannerhereinafter described. In this way there will be no wearing action ofthe four spring ends against the washer 11 or against the gear housinghalf 1 as the four springs F rotate on the axle D. The other half of thering-shaped axle D is provided with four coil springs, not shown, andsimilar to the springs F. The springs mounted on this other half of thecircular axle D have their four ends received in four openings in thehub C, see FIG. 7, and the other ends of the four springs bear againstthe Washer 12. No illustration of these last four helical springs ismade because they are similar to the four springs F.

I mount a flexible corrugated tubing G over the four helical springs Fand the tubing will also enclose onehalf of the ring-shaped axle D fromthe hub B to the washer 11, see FIG. 3, where the tubing is shown insection by a single wavy line. The tubing G is designed to rotate on itssemi-circular axis and to this end I secure the end of the tubing to thehub B. The end of the tubing G is slipped over the adjacent end of thehub B and a ring 16 encircles the portion of the tubing on the hub andpresses the tubing into an annular groove 17 in the hub, see also FIG.7, so that a rotation of the hub on the end 7 of the axle D will notonly rotate the four helical springs G on the axle, but will also rotatethe tubing G with the springs.

Each half 13 and 14 of the toroidal cleaning element E is preferablymade from a pliable spongy material that will absorb water and can becompressed for squeezing the water therefrom, see FIG. 3. I have shownthe one-half portion 13 of the toroidal cleaning element E in section inFIG. 3, and this cylindrical portion has a central bore that snuglyreceives the corrugated tubing G (which is shown in section in thisFigure by a single wavy line) and also receives the four helical springsF plus one-half of the split ring-shaped axle D. It will be seen fromthis construction that a rotation of the hub B, by a means presently tobe described, will cause the four helical springs F to rotate on thearcuate portion of the axle D and the four springs in turn will causethe corrugated tubing G to rotate with the springs and to rotate thehalf 13 of the cleaning element E.

It should be understood that what I have described for the one-halfcleaning element 13 of the toroidal cleaning element E is duplicated forthe other half 14 of the cleaning element. Since the mounting of theother one-half cleaning element 14 is identical to that already shownand described for the one-half cleaning element 13, a detaileddescription for the one-half element 14 is not necessary. I thereforehave shown the plan view of the one-half cleaning-element in FIG. 3 inelevation rather than in section. I

The means for rotating the half-toroidal cleaning elements 13 and 14 ofthe toroidal cleaning element E is shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5. It shouldbe noted in FIGS. 3 and 7 that the hubs B and C are integral with a wormgear H. In fact, the worm gear H has the hubs B and C, and the worm gearmeshes with a worm J, shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. The worm .I forms anintegral part of a motor shaft 18 that is journalled in a bearing 19,which in turn is mounted between the two halves-la and 2a of the gearhousing A, see especially FIG. 1 where the bearing 19 is shown insection. The motor shaft 18 extends from a motor casing 20 and thecasing is provided with lugs 21 and 22 that are removably connected toears 23 and 24, respectively, which are integral with the gear housingportions 1a and 2a and bolts or studs 25 and'26 connect the partstogether. The lugs 21 and 22 have threaded openings for receiving thebolts 25 and 26.

FIG. 5 shows how the motor shaft 18 extends upwardly at an angle and howthe electric motor K, mounted within the casing 20, has a direct driveconnection from the motor shaft 18 to the toroidal cleaning element E bymeans of the worm .l, worm gear H with its integral hubs B and C, thefour spiral springs F connected to each hub, the corrugated tubings G,enclosing each set of spiral springs, and the tubular and half circularcleaning elements 13 and 14 pressing against the corrugated tubings andmaking up the toroidal cleaning element E. The toroidal cleaning elementE will be rotated on the ring-shaped axle D in a direction that willcause the portion of the cleaning element that contacts with the floor27 to have an inward sweeping direction toward the center of the toroid.The worm J and worm gear H will provide a gear reduction between thehigher speed of the motor K and the lower speed of the rotating toroidalcleaning element E as the latter rotates on the ring-shaped axle D, asan axis. If

- desired to reduce the speed of the toroid E still further,

a gear reduction mechanism, not shown, could be mounted in the motorcasing.

A handle L has its lower end connected to the motor casing 20 so thatthe axis of the handle will coincide any tendency for the motor casing20 and handle L to swing downwardly toward the floor 27 and raise theopposite end of the toroid E. Moreover, the wieght of the electricalmotor K and casing 20 will press the toroidal cleaning element down uponthe floor so as to increase the effective cleaning function of theelectric mop.-

When the motor K'is started and the toroidal cleaning element is rotatedabout its circular axle D, the parts will be evenly balanced and therewill be no tendency for the mop to creep over-the floor in any directionbecause the portion of the toroid that contacts the floor will-have aninward movement toward the center of the toroid and all of the forcesfor moving the electric mop will balance each other. The machine can bemade to move forwardly by tipping the handle in a forward directionbecause this will shift the weight toward the forward end of thetoroidal cleaning element E, and traction of this forward end on thefloor' will bev increased and the traction of the rear portion of theelement E lessened with the result of a forward movement of the deviceover the floor. In like manner the device can be moved over the floor inany desired direction by tipping the handle L in the direction in whichthe operator desires the electric mop to move.

My electric mop has novel means for wringing the toroidal cleaningelement from water when the operator so desires and this means makes useof a disc-shaped plate M for this purpose. The plate-can also perform anadditional function of acting as a splash shield for protecting theoperator, see. FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5. The discshaped wringer plate M hasan outer diameter which is slightly less' than the outer diameter of thetoroidal cleaning element E, as shown in FIG. 3, where I illuscleaningmember E from water, he grasps the handle and swings the cam members Nand P in a clockwise direction when looking at FIG. 1. This will movethe wringer plate M downwardly into the dot-dash line position and willcompress the upper portionof the cleaning element E toward thestationary circular axle D. The electric switch-28 canbe closed and thiswill cause the motor K to rotate the toroidal -cleaning element E aboutits circular axle D in the manner already described. The wringer plateM, while in its operative position, will squeeze the water out of therotating toroidal cleaning element E.

The extension arms 1 and 2 of the two identical halves (a right and aleft) of the gear housing A can be fonned and cut by punch and dies. Thearms are flat excepting the portions 1a and 2a that house the gearing.When the electric mop is used, the operator can lift the device bythe'two handles L and 35 and placed in a cleaning solution, notshown,for causing the toroidal cleaning element to absorb the solution.Then the device can be lifted out of the solution by the same twohandles and placed on the floor to becleaned. When the operator wishes,he may wring the cleaning solution out from the toroidal cleaningelement E by swinging the-cam members N and Pinto almost a verticalposition in the manner already described for forcing the wringer plate Minto the rotating toroidal cleaning eletrate only about one-half of'theplate. Then in FIG. 1, v

I show the flat portion 2 of one-half of the gear housing A, providedwith a vertical extension 29 that projects upwardly through a centralslot 30 in the wringer plate M. The other flat portion 2 of the otherone-half of the gear housing A also has a vertical extension 31, seeFIGS. 2 and 5 that extends along the side of the vertical extension 29and contacts this side so as to extend upwardly through the same centralslot 30 in the wringer plate M.

The wringerplate M has a recess 36 for receiving the gear housing la and2a and is free to move vertically on the two abutting extensions 29.and31 of the flat portions l and 2 of the gear housing A. When the plate isin an inoperative position, as shown by the full lines inFIG. 1, theplate will rest lightly upon the top of the toroidal cleaning element Eand will not exert any wringing effect on the cleaning element. It willfurther be seen from FIGS. land 5 that'the outer portion of the wringingplate is flared'upwardly at a slight angle and the rim of the plate alsohas a slight upward curve. The plate M when in inoperative position actsas a shield or splash plate because it covers the open central portionof the toroidal cleaner E and any water escaping from the rotatingcleaning element will be thrown inwardly and will strike theundersurface of the plate. In this novel and simple way the operator isprotected from any dirty water strikinghim.

In FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5, I show a pair of camshaped members N and P thatare pivotally connected to the two upright extensions 31 and 29,respectively, by a ment for squeezing the solution from the element.

It will be noted from FIG. 1 that theouter diameter of the worm J is nogreater than the diameter of the motor shaft 18. This permits theoperator to pull the shaft 18 and worm .I out of the gear housingwithout the necessity of opening the housing by removing-the rivets 3and 4 and the additional rivets37 and 38 for the housing. I have foundthat when using four interleaved coil springs F instead of a single coilspring, there is less play because the number of turns for the four coilsprings is reduced by four times as against a single coil spring.

I have shown a modified form of my electric mop in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. Inthis modified form the toroidal cleaning element E" is substantiallycoextensive with the length of the split ring axle Q. The left half of FIG.

8 is shown in top plan elevation while the right half is shown in ahorizontal section taken substantially along the plane of the circularaxis of the split ring axle Q, the axle 0 being shown in elevation.Since the toroidal cleaning element-E is not formed into two lengths asis true of the cleaning element E shown in FIG. 3, the gear housing Rhas its flatportions 50 and 51 shortened in length because the axle Q isnot supported at its midpoint and the modified form differs from theform shown in FIG. 3 in this respect.

Before describing the gear housing F in further detail, it is best toset forth the particular change in'the gearing mechanism from that shownin FIG. 3, for rotating the cleaning element E in FIG. 8. The ends ofthe split ring stationary axle Q have reduced portions that arerectangular in cross section and are received in slots provided in theends of astationary stub shaft S. The stub shaft extends through anopening in a shaft'supporting plate 52, see also FIG. 9 where the plateis shown in section. The plate 52 is positioned between a pair ofbevelled gears 53 and 54 and the plate has an extension 52a that isgripped between the'inner surfaces of the flat portions 50 and 51 of thegear housing R. FIG. 9 illustrates the stud 25 that connects the gearhousing R to the motor housing 20, as extending through an opening inthe plate 52. The stub shaft S is welded to the plate 52.

The bevel gear 53 has a hub 55 which rotates in a bearing that issupported by the part 50 of the gear housing R, see FIG. 8. One end ofthe corrugated tubing G is slipped over the hub 55 and is held in placeby a ring 56 that clamps the tubing end in an annular groove formed inthe hub. The tubing G is shown in section by a single wavy line in theright half of FIG. 8. The other bevel gear 54 has a hub 57 which rotatesin a bearing that is supported by the part 51 of the gear housing R. Theflat portions 50 and 51 have portions that are spaced apart to receive'the plate 52 and the bevel gears 53 and 54 as is clearly shown in FIG.8. The other end of the corrugated tubing G; is slipped over the hub 57and is held in place by a ring 58 that clamps the tubing end in anannular groove formed in the hub.

The toroidal cleaning element E is identical to the cleaning element Eexcept that it is not divided into two half lengths. In FIG. 3 thecleaning element E has one half length extending from the hub B to thewasher 11 and the other half length extends from the hub C to the otherwasher 12. This is due to the fact that the split stationary axle D issupported at its midway point by the two halves I and 2 of the gearhousing A. In the modified form shown in FIG. 8, the mid point of thesplit ring axle Q is not supported by the flat portions 50 and 51 of thegear housing R. This permits the cleaning element E to be of a singlelength that extends from the hub 55 of the bevel gear 53 to the hub 57of the bevel gear 54. Therefore, the flat portions 50 and 51 of the gearhousing R extend only a short distance beyond the center of the toroidalcleaning element E.

FIG. 9 illustrates a face view of the flat portion 51 of the gearhousing R and shows the plate 52 in section.

The flat portion of the gear housing R is identical to the flat portion51 except that one is a right hand part and the other a left hand part.It will be noted from FIGS. 8 and 9 that the flat portion 51 has avertical extension 59 that projects through an opening 60 provided in adiscshaped mop wringer member M. In like manner the flat portion 50 hasa vertical extension 61 and FIG. 8 only shows a portion of theextension. The vertical extension 61 also projects upwardly through theopening 60 in the mop wringer member M.

The mop wringer member M normally acts as a splash plate as it restslightly on top of the toroidal cleaning member E because the rotation ofthe cleaning member on the ring-shaped stationary shaft 0 is in adirection that the portion of the cleaning member that contacts thefloor will be in an inward direction toward the center of the toroid.Any tendency of the cleaning member to throw any water or foreign matterupwardly will be stopped by striking against the underside of the memberM. In this way the modified form performs in the same manner as the formshown in FIG. 3.

The mop wringing member M can be moved downwardly to compress the upper.portion of the toroidal mop E in the same manner as that alreadyillustrated and described for the form of the device shown in FIG. 3.Referring to FIG. 8, I provide two cam members N and P that arepivotally connected to the vertical extensions 59 and 61 by a rivet 62that extends through openings 63 in the vertical extensions, see alsoFIG. 9.

The cams N and P operate in the same manner as the cams N and P shown inFIGS. 1, 2 and 5. When the cams N and P are manually swung intooperative position, the cam-shaped flanges will engage with the wringerplate M and will move it downwardly so as to compress the upper portionof the toroidal mop. A rotation of the mop on the stationary ring-shapedaxle Q will squeeze the soiled water from the mop.

The motor that drives the motor shaft 18 in the modi' fied form of theelectric mop is not shown in FIG. 9 because it is identical to thatthown in FIG. 5. Also, the handle for moving the device over the flooris not shown in FIG. 9 because it is similar to the handle L illustratedin FIG. 5. The operation of the modified form of the invention issimilar to that already described for the form shown in FIGS. 1 to 7inclusive and no further description is deemed necessary.

The ends 7 and 8 of the circular axle D, see FIG. 4, are in alignmentwith each other and the axes of these ends lie in a single straight lineso that they will readily be received in the axial bore of the worm gearJ, this bore also extending through the hubs that are integral with theworm gear. The mid portion of the axle D that extends through theopenings 9 and 10 in the flat portions 1 and 2 of the gear housing A,see FIG. 3, and through the washers 11 and 12 that abut the flatportions, may also be straightened for a short distance if necessary soas to compliment the combined lengths of the shaft ends 7 and 8.

I claim:

1. An electric mop comprising:

a. a ring-shaped non-rotatable shaft;

b. a toroidal cleaning element rotatably mounted on said non-rotatablering-shaped shaft;

c. means for rotating said toroidal cleaning element about saidnon-rotatable ring-shaped shaft, using said shaft as a circular axis;and d. a handle operatively connected to said nonrotatable shaft formoving the shaft and toroidal cleaning element over the floor so thatthe plane of the ring-shaped shaft will parallel the plane of the vsurface over which the mop is moved.

2. An electric mop comprising:

a. a toroidal cleaning element;

b. means for rotating the toroidal cleaning element about itsring-shaped axis;

c. a handle operatively connected to said cleaning element for movingthe toroidal cleaning element over the floor so that the plane of thering-shaped axis will parallel the plane of the floor;

(I. said toroidal cleaning element includes a ringshaped stationaryshaft and a spongy elongated cylindrical member having a central borefor receiving said ring-shaped stationary shaft; and

e. the means for rotating said toroidal cleaning element includes anelectric motor operatively connected to said spongy elongatedcylindrical member for rotating it about said stationary ring-shapedshaft.

3. An electric mop comprising:

a. a toroidal cleaning element;

b. means for rotating the toroidal cleaning element about itsring-shaped axis;

c. a handle operatively connected to said cleaning element for movingthe toroidal cleaning element over the floor so that the plane of thering-shaped axis will parallel the plane of the floor;

which d. said toroidal cleaning element includes a split-ring stationaryshaft, a worm gear with an integral hub on each side and an axial boreextending therethrough for receiving the ends of said stationary shaft;

e. a plurality of coil springs rotatably mounted on said shaft andhaving their ends connected to said hubs so that a rotation of said wormgear will cause its hubs to rotate said coil springs about saidringshaped shaft as an axle;

f. a spongy elongated cylindrical member having a central bore linedwith a corrugated tubing, said tubing receiving the coil springs andshaft, and said tubing and spongy elongated cylindrical member beingrotated about said ring-shaped shaft when said worm gear rotates saidcoil springs; and

g. an electric motor and motor shaft with a worm meshing with said wormgear for rotating the latter andthe coil springs and the spongyelongated cylindrical member about the ring-shaped shaft as an axis.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 2: and in a. a disc-shaped mopwringer overlies said toroidal cleaning element and has its centercoinciding with the center of said ring-shaped shaft, said discshapedmop wringer normally resting on top of said toroidal cleaning element;and

b. means for moving said disc-shaped mop wringer against said toroidalcleaning element for compressing the latter as it is rotated about itsringshaped shaft for squeezing water therefrom.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 4: and in which a. said meansfor rotating said spongy elongated cylindrical member will cause thelatter to rotate aboutthe ring-shaped'sh'aft so that the portion of therotating cylindrical member that contacts with the floor will be movinginwardly: toward the center of the ring-shaped shaft so that any foreignmaterial or water being thrown free of the cylindrical member due tocentrifugal force will strike the undersurface of the disc-shaped mopwringer, whereby it will function as a splash preventing disc.

6. An electric mop comprising:

a. a housing made up of two halves providing a portion for receivinggears and two flat abutting portrons;

b. a worm gear rotatably mounted in said housing and having an integralhub oneach side and'an axial bore extending therethrough;

c. a split ring stationary shaft having its ends receivable in the borein said worm gear, said abutting flat portions of said housing havingaligned openings therein for receiving and supporting the midportion ofsaid stationary circular shaft and dividing the shaft into two halflength portions;

d. a plurality of coil springs rotatably mounted on each half lengthportion of said shaft and having their ends that are adjacent to saidhubs, connected to said hubs so that a rotation of said worm gear willrotate said springs on said shaft;

e. a toroidal cleaning member made from a spongy elongated cylindricalmember for eachhalf length of said shaft and having a borefor receivingthe shaft and the coiled springs, whereby a rotation of 10 said wormgear will rotate the coil springs and the spongy elongated cylindricalmembers; and

f. means for rotating said worm gear.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 6: and in which i a. acorrugated tubing lines the bore in each of said spongyelongatedcylindrical members, said tubing enclosing the coil springs rotatablymounted on said shaft.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 6: and in which a. the meansfor rotating the worm gear includes a motor driven shaftwith a wormformed thereon and meshing with said worm gear;

b. a motor casing enclosing said motor; and

c. a handle extending fromsaid motor casing and being in alignment withsaid motor shaft.

9. The combination with claim 6: and in which a. a disc-shaped mopwringer overlies and normally rests upon said toroidal shapedcleaningmember, the two flat abutting portions of said housing eachhaving a vertical extensionthat projects through a central slot in saiddisc-shaped mop wringer;

b. a cam member for each vertical extension and a common pivot forsecuring both cams to said extensions; and

c. a handle interconnecting said cams and adapted to be manuallyswungfor causing the cams to move the disc-shaped mop wringer against saidtoroidal cleaning member for compressing it so as to cause water .to besqueezed therefrom when said cleaning member is rotated about itsring-shaped stationary axle.

10. An electric mop comprising:

a. a housing made up of two halves providing a portion for receivinggears and two flat abutting portrons;

b. a stub shaft supporting plate mounted in the gear receiving portionof said housing; a

c. a stationary stub shaft carried by said plate and having an axialbore at each end, the axis of said shaft extending plate;

(1. a split ring stationary shaft having its ends receivable in thebores at the ends of the stub shaft;

e. a bevel gear rotatably mounted on each end of said stationary stubshaft and received in the gear receiving portion of said housing;

. f. a toroidal cleaning member made'from a spongy elongated cylindricalmember having a length substantially the same as the length of saidstationary ring-shaped shaft so that the ends of said member will bedisposed adjacent to said gears, means operatively connecting each endof the toroidal cleaning member to the adjacent bevel gear, whereby arotation of said gears in unison and in the same di- I rection willrotate said cleaning member on its ringshaped stationary shaft; and aworm meshing with both bevel gears for rotating them and the toroidalcleaning member.

11. The combination as set forth in claim 10: and in which a. adisc-shaped mop wringer overlies and normally flat abutting portions ofsaid housing, each having a vertical extension that projects through acentral slot in said disc-shaped mop wringer;

at right angles to the plane of said' rests upon said toroidal cleaningmember, the two axle.

12. The combination as set forth in claim 10: and in which a. the wormis driven by a motor shaft and motor, said motor being enclosed in amotor casing; and

b. a handle extending from said motor casing and being in alignment withsaid motor shaft.

1. An electric mop comprising: a. a ring-shaped non-rotatable shaft; b.a toroidal cleaning element rotatably mounted on said nonrotatablering-shaped shaft; c. means for rotating said toroidal cleaning elementabout said non-rotatable ring-shaped shaft, using said shaft as acircular axis; and d. a handle operatively connected to saidnon-rotatable shaft for moving the shaft and toroidal cleaning elementover the floor so that the plane of the ring-shaped shaft will parallelthe plane of the surface over which the mop is moved.
 2. An electric mopcomprising: a. a toroidal cleaning element; b. means for rotating thetoroidal cleaning element about its ring-shaped axis; c. a hAndleoperatively connected to said cleaning element for moving the toroidalcleaning element over the floor so that the plane of the ring-shapedaxis will parallel the plane of the floor; d. said toroidal cleaningelement includes a ring-shaped stationary shaft and a spongy elongatedcylindrical member having a central bore for receiving said ring-shapedstationary shaft; and e. the means for rotating said toroidal cleaningelement includes an electric motor operatively connected to said spongyelongated cylindrical member for rotating it about said stationaryring-shaped shaft.
 3. An electric mop comprising: a. a toroidal cleaningelement; b. means for rotating the toroidal cleaning element about itsring-shaped axis; c. a handle operatively connected to said cleaningelement for moving the toroidal cleaning element over the floor so thatthe plane of the ring-shaped axis will parallel the plane of the floor;d. said toroidal cleaning element includes a split-ring stationaryshaft, a worm gear with an integral hub on each side and an axial boreextending therethrough for receiving the ends of said stationary shaft;e. a plurality of coil springs rotatably mounted on said shaft andhaving their ends connected to said hubs so that a rotation of said wormgear will cause its hubs to rotate said coil springs about saidring-shaped shaft as an axle; f. a spongy elongated cylindrical memberhaving a central bore lined with a corrugated tubing, said tubingreceiving the coil springs and shaft, and said tubing and spongyelongated cylindrical member being rotated about said ring-shaped shaftwhen said worm gear rotates said coil springs; and g. an electric motorand motor shaft with a worm meshing with said worm gear for rotating thelatter and the coil springs and the spongy elongated cylindrical memberabout the ring-shaped shaft as an axis.
 4. The combination as set forthin claim 2: and in which a. a disc-shaped mop wringer overlies saidtoroidal cleaning element and has its center coinciding with the centerof said ring-shaped shaft, said disc-shaped mop wringer normally restingon top of said toroidal cleaning element; and b. means for moving saiddisc-shaped mop wringer against said toroidal cleaning element forcompressing the latter as it is rotated about its ring-shaped shaft forsqueezing water therefrom.
 5. The combination as set forth in claim 4:and in which a. said means for rotating said spongy elongatedcylindrical member will cause the latter to rotate about the ring-shapedshaft so that the portion of the rotating cylindrical member thatcontacts with the floor will be moving inwardly toward the center of thering-shaped shaft so that any foreign material or water being thrownfree of the cylindrical member due to centrifugal force will strike theundersurface of the disc-shaped mop wringer, whereby it will function asa splash preventing disc.
 6. An electric mop comprising: a. a housingmade up of two halves providing a portion for receiving gears and twoflat abutting portions; b. a worm gear rotatably mounted in said housingand having an integral hub on each side and an axial bore extendingtherethrough; c. a split ring stationary shaft having its endsreceivable in the bore in said worm gear, said abutting flat portions ofsaid housing having aligned openings therein for receiving andsupporting the mid-portion of said stationary circular shaft anddividing the shaft into two half length portions; d. a plurality of coilsprings rotatably mounted on each half length portion of said shaft andhaving their ends that are adjacent to said hubs, connected to said hubsso that a rotation of said worm gear will rotate said springs on saidshaft; e. a toroidal cleaning member made from a spongy elongatedcylindrical member for each half length of said shaft and having a borefor receiving the shaft and the coiled springs, whereby a rotation ofsaid worm gear will Rotate the coil springs and the spongy elongatedcylindrical members; and f. means for rotating said worm gear.
 7. Thecombination as set forth in claim 6: and in which a. a corrugated tubinglines the bore in each of said spongy elongated cylindrical members,said tubing enclosing the coil springs rotatably mounted on said shaft.8. The combination as set forth in claim 6: and in which a. the meansfor rotating the worm gear includes a motor driven shaft with a wormformed thereon and meshing with said worm gear; b. a motor casingenclosing said motor; and c. a handle extending from said motor casingand being in alignment with said motor shaft.
 9. The combination withclaim 6: and in which a. a disc-shaped mop wringer overlies and normallyrests upon said toroidal shaped cleaning member, the two flat abuttingportions of said housing each having a vertical extension that projectsthrough a central slot in said disc-shaped mop wringer; b. a cam memberfor each vertical extension and a common pivot for securing both cams tosaid extensions; and c. a handle interconnecting said cams and adaptedto be manually swung for causing the cams to move the disc-shaped mopwringer against said toroidal cleaning member for compressing it so asto cause water to be squeezed therefrom when said cleaning member isrotated about its ring-shaped stationary axle.
 10. An electric mopcomprising: a. a housing made up of two halves providing a portion forreceiving gears and two flat abutting portions; b. a stub shaftsupporting plate mounted in the gear receiving portion of said housing;c. a stationary stub shaft carried by said plate and having an axialbore at each end, the axis of said shaft extending at right angles tothe plane of said plate; d. a split ring stationary shaft having itsends receivable in the bores at the ends of the stub shaft; e. a bevelgear rotatably mounted on each end of said stationary stub shaft andreceived in the gear receiving portion of said housing; f. a toroidalcleaning member made from a spongy elongated cylindrical member having alength substantially the same as the length of said stationaryring-shaped shaft so that the ends of said member will be disposedadjacent to said gears, means operatively connecting each end of thetoroidal cleaning member to the adjacent bevel gear, whereby a rotationof said gears in unison and in the same direction will rotate saidcleaning member on its ring-shaped stationary shaft; and g. a wormmeshing with both bevel gears for rotating them and the toroidalcleaning member.
 11. The combination as set forth in claim 10: and inwhich a. a disc-shaped mop wringer overlies and normally rests upon saidtoroidal cleaning member, the two flat abutting portions of saidhousing, each having a vertical extension that projects through acentral slot in said disc-shaped mop wringer; b. a cam member for eachvertical extension and a common pivot for securing both cams to saidextension; and c. a handle interconnecting said cams and adapted to bemanually swung for causing the cams to move the disc-shaped mop wringeragainst said toroidal cleaning member for compressing it so as to causewater to be squeezed therefrom when said cleaning member is rotatedabout its ring-shaped stationary axle.
 12. The combination as set forthin claim 10: and in which a. the worm is driven by a motor shaft andmotor, said motor being enclosed in a motor casing; and b. a handleextending from said motor casing and being in alignment with said motorshaft.